These roasted maple acorn squash and turmeric cauliflower buddha bowls are packed with some of my favorite fall flavors. This recipe is great for lunch or dinner and would be a perfect vegan option to serve at Thanksgiving. Once you’ve got all your roasted goodness in the bowl, drizzle with a simple maple tahini dressing.

I’m roasting acorn squash, cauliflower and chickpeas, but you can customize your buddha bowl with any produce you’d like (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, bussles sprouts, etc.). Adding avocado, topping with pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds, and swapping rice for quinoa are all other ideas for making this bowl your own.

Wash and prepare the ingredients. Rinse and drain the chickpeas then pat dry with a paper towel. Cut the head of cauliflower into florets. Cut the ends off the acorn squash, remove the seeds, slice into 1/2" rounds.

Place the chickpeas, squash and cauliflower in separate bowls and toss with the appropriate spices and oil (see ingredient lists). To cut down on dishes to wash, you can do this directly on separate pans and just toss with your hands. If you want to cut down on pans, put the chickpeas and cauliflower on different sides of the same pan (they'll need to roast for the same amount of time) and the acorn squash on a separate pan.

Roast the chickpeas for 40 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes so that they cook evenly. Roast the cauliflower for 40 minutes. Roast the acorn squash for 30 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

While your veggies and chickpeas roast, cook the quinoa. Add 1 cup dry to 2 cups boiling water and then bring to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes until fluffy.

While the quinoa cooks, massage your kale. Place the kale in a big bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar). Massage for 60 seconds then set aside.

Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple tahini dressing ingredients.

When everything is cooked and roasted, assemble your bowl, top with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with dressing.

You might recognize the chickpea component of these buddha bowls from last week (check out the post here). The roasted maple acorn squash also makes for a great side on its own (top the slices with a little bit of hummus—so good!).

These maple roasted chickpeas make for a filling snack or perfect topper for salads and buddha bowls. But before we get to the recipe, I’ve got to solicit you guys for DC recommendations! I’m heading to Washington D.C. this afternoon for an exciting project, and while I’ll be busy working most the time, I’ve extended my stay an extra day to be a tourist. Where should I eat? Any fitness studios I’ve got to try out? Leave a comment or shoot me a message on social media if you have any suggestions for me. 🙂

I make a batch or two of roasted chickpeas almost every week for adding to salads and bowls, and love this maple flavor combo for fall. The maple cinnamon combo makes these chickpeas perfect for pairing with squash, sweet potatoes and all your favorite autumn produce.

When I go food shopping for the week, I have to think about the weight of what I’m buying because I don’t have a car and now live a good 20-minute walk away from a decent grocery store. Something that’s been a big help is ordering heavy canned foods (like the chickpeas I used in this recipe) from Thrive. I’m late to the Thrive game but am now obsessed. Pantry staples delivered right to my door at a discount—it’s SO convenient. If you haven’t tried it, you can get 25% off your first order and free shipping with my referral link. Just a little PSA for my fellow carless city dwellers. 😉

This post was sponsored by MegaFood. All opinions—as always!—are my own. I appreciate your support of the brands that make this blog possible. 🙂

The other day as we were making breakfast, Joe turned to me and asked, “Is it ratchet that I like peanut butter better than almond butter?” [insert cry-laughing emoji here]. It is true that in the wellness world over the past few years, almond and artisanal nut butters have been getting all the attention while peanut butter has been almost shunned as the less healthy step-sibling. Lest we forget how delicious peanut butter is in the era of homemade almond-hazelnut-cinnamon-matcha-elderberry butters, here’s a PB&J smoothie recipe. Because almond-hazelnut-cinnamon-matcha-elderberry butter and jelly (AHCMEB&J) just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

These PB&J smoothies for two are simple to make (just five ingredients), but I’d encourage you to get creative with the toppings if you’re looking for a more filling breakfast. I topped mine with fresh strawberries, granola and a peanut butter drizzle. So. Good.

I love MegaFood’s Daily Nutrient Booster Powders for adding to smoothies (you can check out other recipes I’ve posted using them here, here and here). I added their Daily C-Protect to today’s smoothie because immunity support never hurts during a change of seasons. This booster powder is made with organic oranges from Uncle Matt’s Farm. It contains FoodState® Vitamin C and farm-fresh blueberries and cranberries, providing phytonutrients such as bioflavonoids and anthocyanins which function as powerful antioxidants.* In addition, it contains organic Astragalus and Schisandra Berry. These herbs have been traditionally used for their immune-supportive properties.*